Apparatus for producing butterfat



W. T. CRIGHTON APPARATUS FOR PRODUGING BUTTERFAT Filed sept, 3, 1958ATTORNEYS Y Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES APATENT 4orrlcia lAPPARATUS Fon PnonUClNG BU'r'rEnFA'r l william T. camion, springfield,Mo., assignmto:

Producers Creamery Comuplny, Sp

` Mo., a corporation of Misso l Application september s, 193s, seriaiNo.228.343

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing cream having a highcontent of butter- The primary object of the. present invention is theprovision of new and improved meansfor treating cream having a highbutter-fat content so as to provide a product of exceptional quality.Another important object of the invention resides in a new and novelcooling apparatus whereby cream containing a very high content ofbutter-fat is fed by means of a screw element as not to break thesurface tension of theiat globules.

This present application an apparatus, for cooling cream having a highcontent of butter-fat. Applicants co-peuding application Serial Number391,940,1H-led May 5, -1941, relates to and claims the method of coolingcream having a high content of butter-fat.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout theprogress of lowing specification.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a se lected embodiment of theinvention and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. yi is a longitudinal sectional view o! the cooling element andembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view ot a part oi the improved coolingapparatus, being drawn the full size scale of an actual embodiment; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the path of travel of the cream inthe cooler. l

The cooler element 34, Fig. l, comprises a cylinder 35 with which thepipe line 33 has communication. Inside the cylinder 35 there is mounteda cylindrical member 36 having a single f spirally positioned, spaced,outwardly extending continuous rib 31. The rib 31 extends continuouslyabout the member 36 in a fashion similar to that in which the threadspirals about the core or body of a screw and is, in effect, a screwthread, there being a space 38 between each convolution of the rib orthread 31. The rib' or thread 31 extends to the inside wall o! thecylinder 35, as indicated at 39, Fig. 3. In other words, the outerperiphery of the thread o r spiral en gages the inside surface of thecylinder 35 so as 'relates to and claims between the wall and thecontacting surface, but not so tightfas to cause any friction. Themem-Vber 3i may be made in one or more sections as desired, and preferablyhas its central portionl hollowas indicated at 4l, Fig. 1, so as toreduce the weight of the structure. The ends of the cylindrical member36-have shafts 4I and 42l Fig. Vl, supported in bearings 43 and 44,respectively, to revolublyy or rotatably-support the structure.

A jacket encases the cylindrical member, 35V and is spaced from thewalls thereof to provide a fluid passage 46 into which a cooling medium,such as brine, refrigerated water, or the like, is red to cool the wallso! the cylinder 35.

The pipe line 33 has communication with the interior oi' the cylinder 3iat one endvthereof, and a discharge pipe line 41 leads from the oppitekend of the cylinder 35. It is preferable that the inlet line 33.entervthe cylinder at` the top thereotwhile the discharge line 41 leavethey cylinder at the bottom thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. p

The bearing members 43 and 44 are constructed to provide end caps, or`end closures for the cooling element 44'the members 43'and 44 eachv jbeing Provided with wingsor extensions `43`to receive the locking bolts49. The locking bolts 49 also engage complementary wings orexten# sionsil properly fixed and fastened to the outer vwall of the jacket 45'.

A shaft 5| driven by a prime mover, suchas an electric motor, rotatesthe shaft I42 in any suitable manner, such.' as by the connectiony 52,

in -any suitable manner. such as by a key 63, so

that rotation of the saft 42 will .cause rotation oi the member 38. Ifdesired, the shaft 4i' may also be fixed to the niember 36 by means of akey 54. The extreme'ends of the member 36 401 engage the members 43 and44, as indicated at 55 and 54, but the member 36 is cut away at each endto provide the peripheral grooves 51 and 54 to provide spacesrespectively iorthe reception of the material as it enters andfleave'sthe cooling member 34, Fig. l. 'l Y The rib 31 which spirally encirclesthe bodyf36 l vand is preferably made integral therewith,`has one edgecut away or beveled or inclined, as indicated at59, Fig'. 3, and'itsother edge extending l up relatively straight, as indicated at 60. Thedistance of the body member 36 from the inside of the cylinder 35 isrelatively shallow and provides the space 38 into which the creamisereceived. During operation, that is, rotation of to prevent thematerial from seeping through 55 the body ,the cream is caused tocontact'with the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 35, anddue to the straight edge 30 on one side of the tooth or rib and theinclined or beveled surface 53 on the other side of the tooth-or rib;the cream will tend to roll about, that is, the cream will not only becaused to follow a continuous spiral path from one end of the cooler tothe other and about the periphery of the memsabe rotated in an orbit inthe space between the teeth as shown by the directional arrows B, Fig.4. so as to cause every particle of cream in the spaces between the ribs31 to come into contact-with the inner surface of the cylinder 35. Theparticular construction of th'e teeth or ribs is auch that the materialwill flow freely from one end of the cooler to the other and at the sametime assume a rotary action, Fig. 4, but still not be compressed orchurned, and the fat globules will be maintained in their originaloondition and surface tension and will not become broken, therebydistinguishing the particular action employed from a churning actionwhich would destroy or break down the fat globules lof which cream isformed.

A pipe line 6|, Fig. 1, leads to the space 46 between the cylinder 35and the outer `jacket 45 which surrounds the cylinder and has communication with the space 46. This pipe line 6I is connected to the bottomof the cooling device 34 and is the inlet for refrigerant, such asbrine, refrigerated water, or the like, to supply refrigerant to thespace 4l entirely surrounding the cylinder 35. This pipe line ispositioned at the point where the cream enters the cylinder 35 throughthe inlet 33 and supplies the cold refrigerant at the point where thematerial is first received into the cooler 34. An outlet 32, Fig. l. forthe refrigerant is located at the top of the cooler 3 4 adjacent thedischarge end thereof, and the refrigerant which passesthrough the line6iv will completely encircle the cylinder 35 .to cool the walls thereof.and is then discharged out through the discharge pipe 63. The space 45between the outer jacket 45 and the outer walls of the inner cylinder 35is relatively small so as positively to cause the refrigerant uid tocirculate ina spiral fashion throughout the entire length of thecylinder 35. If the space 46 were not relatively small, the iiuid wouldhave a tendency to surge into the system, probably along the bottomthereof, and discharge through the pipe 62 without completely encirclingand flowing spirally about the cylinder.

The structure disclosed in Fig. 3 is a full size detail of an actualembodiment which is in actual operation, and shows the spacing and sizesof the device which is in commercial use. 'I'he actual cooler 34 whichis in operation has the conveyor element approximately 68 inches longand 6 inches in diameter. There is one single spiral coil 31 whichconstitutes 56 ribs 31 spaced approximately 11/4 inches apart. The wall.of the inner cylinder 35 is approximately V8 of an inch thick, whilethe outside wall 45 is approximately of an inch thick. The space 46between the walls and 45 is approximately 1/2 inch. The space along thecore between adjacent ribs or teeth 31 is approximately of an inch, thedistance across the top of the teeth or ribs 31 being 1/2 inch. Theinclined surface 59 is approximately s, of an inch wide, measuredhorizontally. The space 33 between the outside body of the core 36 tothe inside edge of the cylinder 35 is approximately 1P; of an inch. Thebevel 53, which is the beveled portion connecting the left hand edge ofeach of the lands of the rib 31 to the core 36, Fig. 3, makes an acuteangle-of approximately 30 degrees with the radial direction, while theopposite edge where the land of the rib or tooth 31 connects with thecore 36, is relatively a right angle with respect to the core. This ribconstruction causes the material to be forced longitudinally ofthecooler and causes the material to turn as it is being fed along theconvolutions between the ribs and prevents and overcomes any pocketsfrom forming and prevents the-fat globules from becoming disintegrated.

The 80% cream which enters into the cooling A and 70 Fahrenheit.

The sizes, dimensions and temperatures herein given relate to an actualoperating devic'e, and while they are not critical to the properoperation of the structure, they are given for the purpose of disclosingan actual commercial embodiment which is in successful operation.Naturally, the sizes may be varied to suit the requirements at hand, butit is desirable that the space between the teeth or ribs and the insidewall of the inner cylinder 35 be relatively thin, as indicated, so thatthe cream as it passes in the convoluta spaces between the ribs willbecome,

thoroughly cooled at the proper temperature to provide material of theproper consistency.

Receptacles 63 are located adjacent the discharge pipe 41 to receive thematerial fed through the cooler 34. As soon as a receptacle receives theproper amount of material, it is immediately closed and is ready forshipment and storage purposes.

The invention provides an apparatus in which cream having a relativelyhigh butter-fat content is caused to be chilled and cooled properly, andbecause of the particular construction oi.' the apparatus, rthe creamduring its passage through the apparatus is discharged at the properconsistency.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of theparts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificingany of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all suchchanges as fairly fall within the scope of the following claim.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows: An apparatus for coolingcreamhaving a high content of butter fat, comprisin(y a cylinder hav-.ing an inlet for receiving cream under pressure,

a cylindrical core mounted concentrically within the cylinder, saidcylindrical corebeing provided with a single upstanding helical threadof ,uniform dimensions wound spirally thereabout from one end of thecore to the other, the radial crosssectional area of thethread beingsubstantially equal to the radial cross-sectional area of the spacebetween adJacent threads,'the leadinggside of the thread beingrelatively straight-walled and the trailing side extending rearwardly atan ap preciable angle, with the lands of the thread being at and ofappreciable width fdr engagement 'with the inside walls of the cylinder.and Y the surface 'of the crelying between adjacent threads being ilatand of the same approximate widthasthe widthY o! the lands, togetherwith means for rotating the core, means for cooling the inner surface ofthe cylinder, and an outlet in the cylinder fordischarging the cooledcream therefrom.

. WILLIAM T. CRIGHTON.

